


Stronger than steel

by Highclasstrash



Category: Marvel, X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Father Figures, Gen, mentions of XMEN
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2021-02-23 09:34:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23009404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Highclasstrash/pseuds/Highclasstrash
Summary: Laura gets new bones
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr & Laura Kinney, Erik Lehnsherr & Raven | Mystique, Laura Kinney & Logan, Laura Kinney & Raven | Mystique
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Stronger than steel

A girl that looked to be seventeen or eighteen stood on the doorstep of a large house in a lavish gated community somewhere in Maine. The girl had a duffle bag slung over her left shoulder.

After glancing behind her, the girl curled her hand into a fist. A long claw grew out from between her first and second finger. She used it to slice the lock off the door and silently step inside.

She made it ten feet before a knife was pressed against her back.

"Don't move." A woman hissed.

The girl slowly raised her hands above her head.

The woman, blue skinned with fiery red hair, took a step back. "Drop the bag."

The marble tiles cracked when the duffle bag hit the foor. 

Mystique frowned in slight confusion but didn't take her eyes off the girl. "Where are the rest of you? How did you find this place?"

"I want to talk to him." The girl said in lieu of an answer.

"Where are the rest of them?" Mystique demanded.

"The question I want answered," a voice with an indiscernible European accent cut in from the shadows, "is where on Earth did you get that much adamantium?"

Mystique and the girl stayed silent.

"I thought they sent Logan when you approached, but you are not Logan." 

Erik Lehnsherr stepped closer to the girl. But when he got too close, she raised one of her arms and shot out her claws.

Erik smiled, "but I've heard about you. I'm surprised he let you out of his sight."

"I'm here to make a deal." The girl said in her flat tone.

"Really?" Magneto asked in amusement.

"Yes."

The bag adimantium floated in front of Magneto, X-23 behind him, and Mystique behind her. The various members of the Brotherhood glanced up as they walked by, but said nothing.

They sat in Magnetos study, a room that matched everything Professor Xavier had described of his personality. 

X-23 sat with a stiff back, looking straight ahead while Mystique stood by the door and Lehnsherr lounged in his chair.

"Charles didn't send you," Lehnsherr started, "so why did you come here?"

"I have a favor to ask for." The young woman said. "I want you to bind the adimantium to my skeleton."

Magneto nodded thoughtfully. After a moment, he said, "why don't you have it already?"

"I was still growing when I was with Alkali Transigen. They wouldn't do it then." She clenched her jaw slightly. "I'm done growing."

"You want a metal skeleton like Logan?" Mystique asked from her position by the door. "Logan isn't someone you want to model your life after."

X-23 ignored Mystique. She kept eye contact with Magneto. "Will you do it?"

Magneto looked X-23 up and down slowly, studying everything he could see about her. And after a full minute, he spoke.

"No."

X-23 nodded once and stood up. She grabbed the bag and started walking to the rooms exit. She stopped when the bag also stopped, jerking her to a halt.

"That's it?" Mystique asked, quirking an eyebrow. "No fight?"

X-23 shook her head and gave a steady tug on the floating bag of adimantium. "None."

"I thought you were Logans clone." Mystique looked curious now, "all he does is fight."

"You already said it," X-23 glanced back at Magneto, "I'm not Logan. Now let go."

"Where are you going? Back to your Professor?" Magneto sat up straighter in his chair.

"I'm going to find someone who will put the adimantium in me." X-23 clenched her fist around the strap of the bag. "Let go."

"Who else would do that?" Mystique asked. "None of the other X-Men will do it, not with Xavier there."

"But you've probably already asked your X-Men, so there aren't many other options for you." Magneto concluded.

X-23 closed her eyes and took a breath, then she dropped the adimantium bag and turned to face Magneto again.

"Three favors in return." 

Magneto furrowed his brow, glancing up to meet Mystiques equally confused gaze.

"You put this in me and you get three favors in return." X-23 pointed at the still floating bag.

Magneto caught on and nodded thoughtfully. "Just three?"

"No limitations. Anything you want." She said almost immediately, her eyes close to earnest.

Magneto glanced at Mystique again.

"Step outside for a moment, dear." He leveled X-23 with a neutral look. She nodded again and stepped past Mystique, closing the door behind her.

Mystique sat herself on the desk. "What do you think?"

"She's desperate." Magneto sat back in his chair. "Probably trying to live up to Logan."

"But can we trust her to do this for her and then let her leave?" Mystique asked, her tone serious.

"She came here alone. And I'm betting nobody followed her." Magneto sighed, "and she said she would owe us favors, so I don't think she would tell the others where we are."

They were both silent for a moment. 

"But look how young she is," Mystique glanced back at the door, "do we want to do this to her? Logan was much older when this happened to him."

"But she said she would find someone who would do it if we wouldn't." Magneto countered. "It might be safer for me to do it here, instead of letting her go out and risk killing herself."

Mystique sighed, "are we considering this? What kind of toll would that take on her?"

"Look what happened to Logan." Magneto said dryly.

They were silent again.

"I think you should do it." 

"Me, too." Magneto turned the old iron doorknob from the opposite side of the room and opened the door. "Come inside, please."

X-23 stepped inside quietly. 

"I would like to call on my first favor." Magneto said with an air of finality.

The girls mouth twitched slightly, as if to smile, but it stopped as soon as it started. She nodded.

"I never asked you your name, and I apologize for that." Magneto was met with confused eyes. "I'll start, my name is Erik."

"X-23." She said, posture ram-rod straight, face set rigidly.

Erik studied her face closely. "What's your real name, X-23?"

Raw, unhidden shock flashed across her face, as if she'd never been asked what her name was before. Slowly, she swallowed and thought it over.

"Laura." She quietly, finally, answered.

Erik smiled. When he glanced up at Mystique, she was sporting something similar. 

"Well, Laura," Erik stood, spreading his arms in welcome, "let's get started."


End file.
